The hundred-meter chimney in the OP area is awaiting demolition on Sunday

photo: Martin Vonka

Prostějov - Experts will demolish a chimney over 100 meters high at the site of the former Clothing Company Prostějov (OP) on Sunday. The blasting work for the demolition of the chimney was approved by the district mining authority. The specialized company reported the planned blast to the city hall today, said Jana Gáborová, spokesperson for the Prostějov city council. In the summer of 2014, six large production halls of the bankrupt OP fell down, and the chimney is the last standing landmark of the area, which has since been transformed into an industrial zone and is currently unused.

The mining authority was previously requested by the company Mital to carry out the demolition of the 108-meter-high chimney, which also managed the blasting work during the dismantling of the extensive production halls of OP. "The city hall of Prostějov was informed today about the destruction of the chimney of the former clothing giant OP Prostějov. The client thus fulfilled the legislative obligation to inform about the destruction no later than 48 hours before the blast," Gáborová stated.

The high chimney in the abandoned OP area, far from the residential part of the city, is expected to fall on Sunday morning, coinciding with the festivities in the city center. According to Gáborová, it was not possible to change the blasting date because arrangements had already been made with the companies in the adjacent industrial zone to restrict operations on Sunday during the blasting work.

The managing director of Mital is blasting master Zdeněk Šobíšek, who oversaw the demolition of the OP production halls and received a fine of several tens of thousands of crowns. Fragments at that time slightly injured two people. Shortly after the demolitions in 2014, Šobíšek told ČTK that safety regulations had not been violated. However, a video appeared on the internet showing a piece of masonry narrowly missing a group of spectators. Šobíšek questioned the video and then ceased communication with the media.

According to the mining authority, Šobíšek had used a larger amount of explosives during the demolition of the six OP buildings than what was authorized in the documentation. As a result, debris flew beyond the safety perimeter. A total of 2404 non-electric and 856 electric detonators, totaling 1193 kilograms of dynamite, were used for the demolition of the six OP buildings. The buildings fell to the ground in an instant. Hundreds of people watched the demolition from a distance.

The new owner of the OP Prostějov area, Astria Group, decided to demolish the production halls. The eighteen-hectare site is currently empty. Machines have already removed huge piles of construction debris. The landowners claim that negotiations with investors are progressing well, and the first companies could soon settle in the area. They have not yet revealed any details. Jiří Pospíšil, deputy mayor of Prostějov (PéVéčko), announced this spring that four foreign investors are interested in the lands.

Astria Group paid 58 million CZK for the Prostějov OP area, which it purchased as the winning bidder in a tender in January of the year before last. The lands are located close to the R46 expressway, which leads from Olomouc to Brno, making them advantageous for investors. The area is extensive and had several production and administrative buildings, warehouses, a boiler room, and a railway siding.